Family Bound
by Karren
Summary: This is the final Sequel to Snow Bound and Forever Bound. Lester's veiw on raising the baby he and Stephanie created.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own anything from Janet Evanovich or any Song I sampled from for this story all other Characters are mine.

PROLOUGE

"Mr. Santos?"

"Yes" I answered turning around to face a woman in Winnie the pooh scrubs

"If you'll follow me sir, I'll take you to your wife" she told me walking over to the door

I followed the woman down a long hallway. She turned a corner and came to a stop outside of a door. She told me to go on in that they were expecting me. Taking a shaky hand, I pushed open the large wooden door. Once I stepped inside, Stephanie looked up at me with tears on her cheeks.

"He's just perfect" she said looking down at the little blue bundle in her arms

I quickly crossed the room and came to my wife's side and kissed her. She placed the little bundle into my arms and I looked down upon the bueautifulest baby boy id ever seen.

"Isn't he beautiful?" Steph asked me

"Yes" I said trying not to let my voice crack "I wish I just coulda been here sooner"

"You're right on time baby, don't worry about it"

I never did give the sleeping baby back to Steph, I just couldn't. I held him and touched his cute little face and Steph showed me his cute little toes. Once he got fussy, I stood and carried him over to the large plate glass window that was in the room. As I stood there, I quietly shhhed him and touched my finger to his quivering little chin, to my surprise his little hand came out from the blanket and grabbed a hold of my finger. I stood over by that window in amazement over this little baby holding my finger, it caused many memories to come rushing back…..


	2. Chapter 2

I want to thank Financebabe for helping me come up with the title to this story.

Chapter One

~ There's two things I know for sure: she was sent here from heaven and she's daddy's little girl ~

"Lester I can't do this, it hurts so bad" Steph cried to me

God how I hated seeing her going thru this, she was in a lot of pain and you could just see the tiredness on her face. Steph had been at this for nearly twenty two hours and it just didn't seem like it was going to end for her anytime soon. I kissed her temple as she lay back against me; Steph's doctor was below us telling her that she had to push again when he got to the count of three. My poor Steph looked over at Bobby who was assisting by holding her leg and begged him for help.

"Bobby please do something"

"I'm sorry Steph there is nothing I can do. This is all you, you have to birth her" he told her

"I'm so tired" she said closing her eyes

"Ok Stephanie when I get to three push. 1, 2, 3 PUSH" the doctor yelled

"PUSH BABY PUSH" I yelled as I helped her to sit up in the bed

"OH MY GODDD" Steph screamed as we fell back breathing heavy, steph sweaty

"Again Stephanie. 1, 2, 3 PUSH!" the doctor yelled again

"You're doing it Steph" I said into her ear

"SHITTTTTT" she cried

"OK take a breath and push with all your strength Stephanie PUSH"

"THERES THE HEAD" Bobby announced to the room and Steph began to weaken

"No more I can't, it hurts too much I can't"

"Stephanie yes you can. I see the top of the head you have to push her out now" the doctor said

"PUSH STEPH" Bobby told her as I propped her up

While Steph pushed and I held her up she let out this animalistic scream and slunk back into me. All the sudden the doctor yelled for her to stop as he went to work between her legs.

"OK Steph the heads out we got to get the shoulders and the rest should be easy now give me one more good push"

"Come on Baby it's almost over" I said as I held her up. Steph sucked in a breath and pushed until her whole face was red and she was shaking

"SHE'S HERE!" Bobby yelled as the baby came from Steph. Steph fell back onto me utterly exhausted.

"It's a girl" the doctor said as he held her up and placed her onto Stephanie's tummy

"Oh my God Lester look at her. She's beautiful" Steph said as she began to cry

"She's slimy"

"LESTER!"

"Ok Daddy you can cut the cord. Just cut between those two clamps there" the doctor instructed me and I did as he said

"Ok Mr. and Mrs. Santos, I need to take her now so she can be weighed and measured, I'll give her right back once she and Mom is all cleaned up" the nurse came over and said

"Bobby"

"I'm on it" he said following the nurse who took our baby

Over the next hour they got Steph to deliver the afterbirth, stitched her up, cleaned her and placed her in a new gown and new bed. They got her settled in our birthing suit and finally left us alone.

"You did it Steph" I said lightly kissing her

"Yea"

Steph closed her eyes and she was out. I kissed her forehead and went to sit in the recliner in the room. I fished my phone out of my pocket and texted Ranger. I told him our little girl arrived and was now being weighed, I also told him Steph was fine but extremely tired and now was asleep. I told him that id send more info later. About forty five minutes later our room door opened and a little plastic bed on wheels was pushed in by a nurse, Bobby was following right behind her.

"Would you like to hold your daughter?" the nurse asked me

"Uhh Sure" I said watching as the nurse scooped up a little pink bundle out of the little bed "I uh don't know how"

"Just hold her head, don't let it drop you won't break her Mr. Santos" she said placing the baby into the crook of my arm

I sat back in the chair and held this little baby girl in my arms. MY baby girl. I looked down at her as she slept and noticed how much she looked like Steph. She was going to be a heart breaker when she grew up. I heard a sound and looked up to see Bobby with his phone out snapping away.

"For the guys" he said as he punched a couple of buttons

I started to get cramped up from holding still for so long as I held the baby. I slowly stood up supporting the head just like the nurse had showed me. All this is really going to be something for me to learn; I've never held a baby much let alone care for one like I will have to now. I carefully walked over to the big glass window in the room that over looked the city. I was lost in thoughts when something began to move in my arms, looking down I saw it was the baby shifting. I spoke to her and she immediately stopped and calmed. I smiled and ran the tip of my finger over her little pouty lips and her small hand wrapped around my finger. From that moment something came over me and my heart swelled ten times its normal size. I vowed to my daughter that id protect her, love her, and always be there for her.

"Already Daddy's little girl" I heard and looked to see Steph with tears running down her cheeks

"Yea MY little girl"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

~You could read quite a story in the calluses and lines, years of work and worry left their mark behind~

"Come on Daddy play with me, Push me" my daughter said taking me by the hand and pulling me towards the swing sets of our local park

"Ok Daniela but shouldn't we wait on Mommy?" I asked

"We can play till she comes" she said looking up at me with her Mothers big blue eyes. I can't say no to her Mother and I can never say no to her.

"Ok"

"Yaaaaaaay push me real high Daddy" She squealed as she hopped on a swing

"Hold on tight" I tell her as I start to push

"Faster Daddy, I want to fly"

Yep she's just like her Mother.

(Later that night)

"Will you read me a story Daddy? She asks climbing up into my lap handing me her favorite book

"Dani we've read this book a hundred times, wouldn't you like some of the new ones Mommy bought for you today?"

"No I like when you do all the voices" she said and I heard laughing coming from Tank and Hal who had came over to have dinner with us

"Ok go get ready for bed and I'll be in, in a few minutes"

"OK" she said and I watched my little girl bounce over to Hal and Tank giving them each hugs and kisses "night Uncle Hal, night Uncle Tank"

"Night Munchkin" they both said as she ran down the hall with Stephanie following behind her

I walked my two friends out to their truck. When we got there Tank stopped and shook his head. Wondering what he was doing I asked.

"After all these years, it's still hard to believe you Lester Santos the playboy of RangeMan ended up with Steph" he said shaking his head again

"Yea for all we knew she was Ranger's" Hal said

"Believe it guys we've been together almost seven years now"

"Hey I need to get snowed in with a woman" Hal said wistfully

"It could happen"

We all said goodbye to each other as they climbed up into the truck and left. I turned and jogged back to the house, I had a date with a six year old. When I got to her room, I stood watching and listening as Steph took out each new story book and showed them to Daniela. As I watch my Wife and little girl I'm like Tank, I can't believe she is all mine, they are all mine.

Steph and I went to a cabin in the Poconos during the blizzards that hit New Jersey. Ranger asked Steph to go and make sure everything was still standing and I watched as he kissed her. Being the jokester I was and the flirt, I had to open my mouth which earned me a seat next to Steph going to the mountains. Long story short we got snowbound and started fooling around. I remembered the first time I slept with her and smiled, I'd have to save that till later tonight. I didn't know it at the time nor did Steph but during one of our times together those three days in that cabin, Daniela was conceived.

When my thoughts shifted to Steph being pregnant, I remember being kept in the dark the whole entire time. Steph and I made the decision to keep our relationship a secret because of Ranger, who had a thing for her but would never act upon it. Steph felt that she had to keep our baby a secret too because one it was a surprise and she didn't know how id react and two it would blow our cover with Ranger, so she went on as usual so we wouldn't thing anything. Ranger roped her into a human trafficking sex slave sting which caused her to almost loose the baby because of all the stress she was under. It was then during a meeting after the sting did I find out I was going to be a Daddy because of something a pervert photographer said about her being with child. Steph couldn't lie anymore she had to spill her secret which in turn caused a huge fight between Ranger and me. We all made up in the end but every now and then I see him get a faraway look in his eyes when he is looking at Steph and I can see an old feeling come across them.

"DADDY" I heard as I focused my eyes on the little girl standing up in her bed with her Mother looking at me giggling

"Daniela Marie Santos we do not stand in our beds like that" I said firmly as Steph came up to me placing her hand on my chest

"Don't be mean she'd been calling you for a few minutes but you were somewhere in outer space. Where did you go?" she asked me

"I was thinking about the first time we…"

"OHH! Go read to your daughter, I'm going to clean the kitchen up and take a bath"

"OK but later…" I said kissing her

"It's a date"

I tucked Dani into bed and lay next to her as I read for the thousandth time her favorite book. When I got finished her little eyes were so droopy. I cuddled my daughter into me and ran my hand over her small face.

"Your hand is rough Daddy, Mommy's is soft" she informed me

"Mines rough from all the work I've done"

"Mommy works too Daddy"

"Yes but I've worked harder and longer than Mommy" I told her

"Can I work with you Daddy when I get big?"

"Oh no Dani, Daddy wants you to do something different" I tell her not wanting my little girl to be a part of all the darkness and the crazies that Steph and I are

"But I like coming to work with you and seeing Uncle Ranger and the rest"

"I know you do baby but why don't you become a teacher or a doctor. You could teach me and Mommy stuff and doctor us when we get sick…. Dani?" I asked looking down and saw that she was fast asleep. I kissed her on the forehead and tucked her in again.

"I love you my heart" I told her

"Love you Daddy" she said and fell deeper into sleep

I made sure her windows were locked and that her night light was on, turning off her main light I shut her door and heard Steph draining the water from the tub.

"Perfect timing" I said as I stripped and jerked Steph into our room as she stepped out of the bathroom


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

~She's looking like her Mama a little more every day, one part woman, the other part girl. To Perfume and make up from ribbons and curls. Trying her wings out in a great big world.~

How did I get here, where did the time go? Seems like yesterday Daniela was six years old calling for her Daddy to push her higher on the swings in the park, begging to come to work with me to see her uncles, and wanting an ice cream cone when Mr. Softy came around playing his music. She was Daddy's little girl, always lighting up when she saw me coming up, she still is my girl but she isn't so little anymore. Now she's seventeen, rushing around upstairs, panicking, and getting ready for her senior prom. My baby seventeen.

"Daddy can you get that? It's probably Michael" she yelled from upstairs breaking into my thoughts of yester year

Ugg Michael "sure" I call back hearing the doorbell ring again

"Hey Santos is she ready yet?" Bobby asked as he, Ranger, Cal, Hal, and Tank came in

"No her and steph have been upstairs all day doing hair, makeup, and all that stuff"

"Mike?" Daniela called down

"No baby it's all your Uncles" I tell her

"Oh"

"I can remember a time she was thrilled to see us all come over and couldn't wait to come to RangeMan" Tank said

"I know, I was just sitting here thinking about it all since I'm not allowed to go upstairs"

The doorbell rang out again and all of us looked at the front door. Daniela called drown from upstairs again and told me to get it that this time it probably was Mike. Mike the snot nosed kid who took my place in my daughter's heart and eyes. All I heard now was Mike this and Mike that, Steph loved it and ate it up, I on the other hand hated it and in turn hated him.

"DAAAD" we heard again as the doorbell rang out again "Mom Dad's ruining everything"

"LESTER" Steph called to me from the top of our stairs "open the door and let him in"

Hearing my daughter say that I was ruining everything for her cut me. All her life it was me that hung the moon and me who kept the scary monsters away. Looking up into my wife's pleading eyes, I opened the door to reveal a boy dressed in a black tux carrying a flower in one of those plastic boxes.

"Hi Mr. Santos" he said smiling a little

"Mike"

Early on when Daniela had gotten her first boyfriend, I had made it known to the boys that she was mine. I had placed the fear of God in them and I liked it that way. One day Dani came home in tears telling her Mother how no one wanted to kiss her because they knew of her Father and her Uncles. Steph held her and talked to her, trying to tell her that it wouldn't always be like this all the while giving me the Burg eye, she would be a nun if I had my way.

"Mike is that you?" Dani's voice carried down the stairs

"Yes" he called back and I knew I needed to let him come in or face the wrath of Steph and my teenage daughter

"I'm almost finished. I'll be down in a few minutes"

"All right" Mike called up to the steps as he walked in and got his first glimpse of Dani's Uncles

"Hell..." he choked "Hello" he stammered and I smirked behind him at the guys. They knew how much I hated this kid.

"Yo" they all said in unison

Twenty agonizing minutes I had to endure with Dani's boyfriend, thinking of all the things that he could possibly want to do with my daughter tonight, Steph called down the stairs telling us that she was ready. We all filed out of the living room and crowded around in the little area between the front door and the stairs. Mike took front and center where my place should be but before I could yank him off his feet for disrespecting my home, Dani walked out and came to the top of the stairs followed by her Mother.

"My God" I said as I watched this beautiful creature walk down the stairs to us. I was speechless

Daniela was dressed in a red dress that slit up one leg. The slit had little shimmery things running up both sides. Steph had curled her hair, had it twisted up in an elegant up do, and long heeled red shoes on her feet. She was the spitting image of her Mother. OH MY GOD SHE LOOKS LIKE HER MOTHER! Steph was hot back when we got to know her, well she still is but my point is we all tried anything and everything to get with her some more than others, me included. Now my daughter is standing right in front of me looking like a younger version of Steph, I looked at the guys, my mind reeling, wondering if they saw it and made the connection too.

"Awww Michael they're beautiful thank you" My daughter's voice brought me out of my panic in time to see her peck him on the lips and watch him place the flowers he had brought her on her wrist.

"Yes they are very beautiful" Steph said as she came to stand next to me "Right Lester?" she asked elbowing me in the side

"Yea pretty" I said

"Daddy" Dani said turning her blue eyes on me. God she even has Steph's eyes, but of course id known this "what do you think? How do I look?" She asked taking my hand

"Daniela you look gorgeous. You look just like your Mother" I said and saw her eyes fill and heard Steph suck in a small breath. Dani let go of my hand and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"I love you Daddy, thank you" She said as I wrapped my arms around her holding her tight, relishing the feel of her in my arms one more time.

"Dani" Mike spoke out breaking the moment I was having with my daughter "I'm sorry but we need to go" he said and I wanted to kill him

"Ohhh your right" she said breaking from me and turning to the guys, who all told her how beautiful she looked

"Ready Beautiful?" Mike asked taking her arm and I nearly had a heart attack at the name he had called her

As they walked out the door, Steph called out to Dani telling her to have a great time at the prom and the after parties. I stood there and glared at the boy. He smiled weakly back at me getting the hint I was giving him. Dani hugged all her uncle's as they walked past and then her Mother one last time, tiptoeing up to plant a fast kiss on my cheek. Taking her hand again, Mike began leading her down the sidewalk to a stretch white Limo. Before he got in he turned back to me and Dani's uncles filling the porch.

"Mine" I said narrowing my eyes at him and I knew the guys had their blank faces on too. The kid gave a brief look like he had just shit his pants and dove into the Limo.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

~She'll change her name today. She'll make a promise and ill give her away. Standing in the Bride room just staring at her, she asked me what I'm thinking and I said "I'm not sure I feel like I'm loosing my baby girl" She leaned over… gave me butterfly kisses with her Mama there, sticking little white flowers up in her hair ~

~There always love in Daddy's hands ~

Today my life changes forever, I thought as I walked to the doorway of my daughter's bedroom. Dani has been gone for several years now with going off to college and then getting her own little apartment but she always came home and Steph kept her room as she had left it for her.

"She won't be coming back anymore" I say as I look around the brightly colored room that was once her nursery, then her toddler room, then the room she grew up as a teenager. It was the room my little girl grew up in.

"Les honey come on we have to go" Stephanie said coming up beside me "are you all right?"

"I'm ok" I said turning to my wife who was so beautiful with her hair done up and a new beautiful blue dress on "you look amazing" I tell her

"Thank you but we have to go; I have to help Daniela get ready"

"Tell you what why don't you go on and ill meet you there in a bit ok?"

"Les you can't be late" she said looking at me sternly

"I won't, I promise" I tell her and kiss her

"Ok but you have to be there no later than twelve"

"I know and I will" I tell her once more as she went down the stairs and out the door

I waited till I heard Stephanie's car start and pull out. I walked into Dani's room and sat down on her bed grabbing the worn out stuffed bear that always laid in wait for her return. I still remember the day she got the bear; I had taken her and Steph to the local carnival and threw balls till my arm ached. When I finally won the bear, Dani jumped up and down and hugged the bear to her chest.

"Thank you Daddy, I love you the bestest" she said kissing my cheek

"Sorry old friend looks like we've both been replaced" I told the old worn out Ratty brown bear

I replaced the bear on its pillowed perch and let out a long sigh. I looked around her room again my eyes landed on the pictures Dani had on her night stand. They ranged in ages from ones of her and us as she was a baby, to ones as a toddler, and some as a teen. I took one of the pictures off the table and stared down at it. In the picture was a younger looking me and Dani who was three or four at the time, she had one arm around my neck and was staring into my eyes. I couldn't tell you what we were saying or doing at the time but the love and adoration in our eyes for each other was quite clear. Looking at the picture again I saw Steph had placed it in a frame that read across the bottom DADDY'S LITTLE GIRL.

"Not after today" I say as I take my handkerchief out of my tux pocket and wipe my eyes

I replaced the picture on the night stand and just sat there on her bed for a while. I thought back to when she was first born and how rough Steph had it giving birth to Daniela. I thought back to the first day Stephanie was cleared to take the baby out and how she took her to RangeMan first. Since it was still pretty new to people at the time that we were together, Steph wanted Ranger to be the first person to see her, she knew the baby would unite us all again. Getting off the elevator, Steph was welcomed back with open arms. Steph was on a mission and would politely say thanks but she wouldn't let anything stop her in what she needed to do. Knocking on Ranger's office door she got his curt "ENTER" and went in. Stephanie wouldn't let me come with her but she told me what happened, she said she walked in holding our new baby girl in her arms and stood in the office waiting for Ranger to see her and once he did he just sat there shocked that she was back. Steph said she walked right up to him and placed Daniela into his large arms, she said it looked so odd because Dani was so small swallowed up by Ranger's bulk. Ranger looked down at the sleeping infant in his arms and Steph said you could just see his tough sad exterior break apart. Ever since that day he has been Dani's protector and God Father, jobs he takes very seriously. All the guys do.

My mind started playing other important things in her life like her first cold, doctor's appointments, potty training, first steps, shots, and the first day of School, that day broke my heart. Stephanie and I got her ready for School; we all drove over and walked hand in hand down the hall to find her classroom. Once we found it, Steph began praising the room telling Dani how nice it looked and she would get to color and learn. Steph also told her how she would get to make all kinds of new friends. Dani looked up at me with glittering blue eyes and said "Daddy don't leave me" uggg my heart ripped out of my chest. After that traumatic experience we moved on to Chicken pox, home work, projects, School clubs, football games, and let's not forget once a month the out of whack hormones that left her sullen and moody. I loved Dani with all my heart but that's the only time I wished she was a boy and of course she cycled the same week as Steph, so I was going nuts with sudden bursts of tears, I hate yous, and you don't understands.

After all that we moved onto prom and that snot nosed Michael. Oh he wasn't the only boy than Dani brought around there were quite a few than sniffed around. Then she graduated with honors, we couldn't have been more proud considering who her parents were. Dani then decided she wanted to go off to college, graduated, moved into her own apartment, and came home to introduce us to HIM and to hell us her wonderful news, Brent purposed. She jutted out her hand to show off her ring and I went deaf with Steph squealing and yanking our Daughter into the kitchen to tell her everything. That's when I knew my baby girl wasn't my baby anymore. I looked at my watch and saw I had fifteen minutes till it would be twelve. Not wanting to face the wrath of my wife, I let out a huge sigh and pushed myself off the bed. Running down the stairs, I pushed the code into the alarm station and jogged to my car. As I sat behind the wheel, I thought of something. Opening my car door, I ran back to the house, unarmed the alarm, ran back up the stairs, and grabbed the bear off the bed.

"At least you can go along" I told it as I sat it in the passenger side seat

I walked into the big beautiful decorated church right at twelve. I asked Hal, who was with his wife where Stephanie was, he pointed down the hall and said I would know what room she was in. Nodding my head I began to walk, reading the name plates on each door till I got to the one that read BRIDES ROOM figuring this had to be it, I knocked on the door and several voices asked who is it.

"Its Dad" I called thru the door

When the door opened Mrs. Plum stood there dabbing her eyes with a hanky, when she saw me she warmly smiled and touched my arm as I walked in.

"Wait until you see her, she's just perfect" she said dabbing her eyes once more

"Mom please stop crying I'm going to start again and both our make ups will be ruined" I heard Steph say

I looked beyond Mrs. Plum and saw my wife circling around a girl in a wedding gown. I watched her for a minute sticking little white flowers and crystals into Dani's hair. Steph smiled and then walked over to a chair and picked up a tiara with a long veil attached to it. Settling it on Daniela's head, Steph announced she was done.

"Lester" I heard Steph whine

"What?"

"Your handkerchief is all messed up" she said coming over to me trying to straighten it up

"Leave it" I said cupping her hand in mine, Steph smiled getting the hint

"DADDY" Danni called to me "Does my dress look pretty?"

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I stood there looking at her. She was so beautiful, words could not describe "Daddy?" she asked and looked up from smoothing her dress down

"Oh Daddy please don't cry" she said taking my hand in hers as a tear ran down her cheek

"You're so beautiful" I finally chocked out "I uh I uh brought you something" I told her holding up her bear

"OHHH Daddy" Dani cried launching herself into my arms

"I hate to break this up" Steph touched my arm "but that's the music for the parents, Les you need to walk me down to our seats then it's your big debut"

I kissed Daniela on her forehead and then took Steph's arms around mine. The doors to the huge sanctuary opened and I lead her to our seats. Once I got her settled and kissed her, I walked back up the isle to stand behind the closed doors to wait for my daughter to come out of her room. I hung back and watched as the groomsmen and bridesmaids walked down the aisle and get into their spots. I then watched as the ring bearer and flower girl did their thing, when the sanctuary doors closed behind them, I knew it was time. I straightened my tux jacket and watched as Daniela walked over to me, taking my hand, and then folded her arm around mine, she looked up at me with big blue eyes.

"Daddy are you ok?" she asked

"No not really, I'm loosing my little girl today"

"Daddy I'll always be your little girl" she said as the door opened as the wedding march played

Dani leaned up and kissed my cheek "Walk me down the aisle Daddy, its time"

I walked my baby girl who isn't such a baby anymore down the aisle to her soon to be husband. As we got closer, Brent walked up to us and stood there looking at me. Dani kissed me one more time and let me go.

"You treat her good" I told Brent before I sat down

"I will, I know RangeMan is watching"

"Damn Straight" I smirked

I sat down with my wife who grabbed a hold of my hand. Tears freely flowed from both of us as we watched Dani give herself to Brent. When they kissed and were announced husband and wife we all stood as they walked back up the isle together but before she got passed us Dani stopped, hugged us both, and kissed me.

"You're the bestest Daddy" she said and then continued up the isle

I know I gotta let her go but I'll always remember every hug and every kiss from my little girl.


	6. Chapter 6

EPILOUGE

"Mr. Santos?"

"Yes" I answered turning around to face a woman in Winnie the pooh scrubs

"If you'll follow me sir, I'll take you to your wife" she told me walking over to the door

I followed the woman down a long hallway. She turned a corner and came to a stop outside of a door. She told me to go on in that they were expecting me. Taking a shaky hand, I pushed open the large wooden door. Once I stepped inside, Stephanie looked up at me with tears on her cheeks.

"He's just perfect" she said looking down at the little blue bundle in her arms

I quickly crossed the room and came to my wife's side and kissed her. She placed the little bundle into my arms and I looked down upon the bueautifulest baby boy id ever seen.

"Isn't he beautiful?" Steph asked me

"Yes" I said trying not to let my voice crack "I wish I just coulda been here sooner"

"You're right on time baby, don't worry about it"

I never did give the sleeping baby back to Steph, I just couldn't. I held him and touched his cute little face and Steph showed me his cute little toes. Once he got fussy, I stood and carried him over to the large plate glass window that was in the room. As I stood there, I quietly shhhed him and touched my finger to his quivering little chin, to my surprise his little hand came out from the blanket and grabbed a hold of my finger. I stood over by that window in amazement over this little baby holding my finger.

"Daddy" I heard bringing me out of my thoughts

"He's beautiful Daniela" I said carrying the baby over to his Mother "how are you? Where's Brent?"

"I'm ok just really tired and sore, Brent ran over to the airport to pick up his parents" she told me

"Your Mom was exhausted after she had you" I told her thinking back that this is how it all started with us

"Yea Mom's told and helped me a lot while I was pregnant" she said looking over and smiling at her Mother

I sat on the edge of her bed looking over my Grandson once more before I handed him over to Dani. Dani looked over and smirked at her new son.

"Looks like he's got Grandpa wrapped around his little finger already"

"Just like his Mother" I said kissing my Daughter on the forehead as her baby lay sleeping in her arms like she did when Steph had her. The circle was complete.

THE END!


	7. Chapter 7

AUTHORS NOTE

I forgot to add this to the last chapter . Thank you all for your reviews and support for this story! Ill be posting a Ranger Story starting Saturday. It will involve some Dark Subjects so it will be in the Ranger/ Steph M Section.

The wonderful Songs i took from in this Story are called

Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle

And

Daddy's Hands by The JUDDS

Through all the growing up with Daniela i protrayed with Butterfly kisses i also wanted to protray Daddys hands also. In my vision for this story i was sitting in Bible study when we were discussing God as our father, how he wants us to treat him like a Daddy. The thought hit me of Dani calling out to Lester and grabbing his hand to come play with her in the park and thats how it all started. IN each Chapter there is something about them holding hands and thats why i thought there is always love in daddys hands.

Thank you all again for your great reviews i love each and everyone of them. Look for more storys from me coming very soon! ( and maybe JUST maybe i have a little inkling of a short sequel to this story- lol)

Karren


End file.
